Maxine

by Geoff Broadway

Maxine is the manager at Phoenix Court. She took a few photographs for our blog durring one of her day's at work. She also shared with us some of her perspectives on life in the centre.

My job title is Scheme Manager, and I started working here 6 years ago, on St Valentines Day in fact! There is so much to this job it took me over 2 years to learn it all. Because it is Extra Care - we have social services onsite, and we have a kitchen - soon to be 7 days a week, 365 days a year. I also deal with contractors a lot, with a lot of help from Yasmin, which is great. The home care team always come to me, a lot of people don't have doctors so I am the one that calls the doctors or the nurses.

I do have a challenging job, no 2 days are the same. That is why I love it, I just love it. I enjoy working with people. I especially like working with older people. I treat them all like my own family member. It is challenging, and the fact that some residents get ill and are sometimes near death is hard, but you learn to live with it, and accept it.

I have also done a lot of training around dementia and Alzheimer's and I defend them to the hilt because you don’t know what is going to happen to you - there for the grace of god go I.

My own life is challenging, but very different to the challenges that I face here. In a way I come here takes my mind off all the other things that are going on.

The first couple of images are my colleagues Bea and Yasmin.

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Yesterday morning we had to have a sink removed so, this is Darren from GP Purchase, he did that for us.

This is the kitchen, and here is Layla - making bread and butter pudding. They deliver the food to the flats, and also the day services also take meals.